Jessica Pegula enjoyed an emphatic victory in her latest match at the US Open to reach the quarterfinals once again.
Pegula was struggling to find form coming into the US Open this year, where she reached the final in 2024.
This appears to have transitioned to her practice sessions as well, with Pegula stopping her training with Aryna Sabalenka early in New York.
However, she has been able to pull things together on the matchcourt, with Pegula reaching the US Open quarterfinals after beating Ann Li.
Photo by ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty ImagesJessica Pegula says she thought Ann Li was nervous in their US Open match
Pegula dominated Li, beating her American compatriot, 6-1 6-2, in just 54 minutes.
Although she was expected to beat the world number 58, Pegula told Sky Sports that she suspected Li was nervous, something she tried to take advantage of.
“When we got out there I did sense from the first few games that she was a little nervous,” said Pegula. “I did not think that she was moving her feet and she gave me a couple of quick easy errors. I took that and ran with it. I don’t know if she was but it seemed like it to me.
“I had to get on top of her and not let her get comfortable on a big court like that. I know what it feels like, it can be tough, so I was thinking about that after the first few games, to try and stay on top of her and keep that momentum the whole time.”
Jessica Pegula vs Barbora Krejcikova Head-to-Head
Pegula will now look ahead to her third US Open quarterfinal against two-time Grand Slam singles champion Barbora Krejcikova.
Krejcikova caused heartbreak for Taylor Townsend after saving eight match points to win their match, and could cause problems for Pegula.
The US Open quarterfinal will be a fourth meeting between Pegula and Krejcikova, with the latter leading the head-to-head with two victories.
YearTournamentResult2023Australian Open (R16)Pegula beat Krejcikova, 7-5 6-22023Dubai Tennis Championships (SF)Krejcikova beat Pegula, 6-1 5-7 6-02024WTA Finals (RR)Krejcikova beat Pegula, 6-3 6-3
Krejcikova has won their two most recent meetings, with the last coming at the WTA Finals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, last year.
However, Pegula beat Krejcikova in their only previous Grand Slam meeting that came at the Australian Open in 2023.